Latrell Mitchell has ruled himself out of the first State of Origin match for 2026 after speaking with NSW Blues coach Laurie Daley on Sunday, withdrawing from consideration because of a back injury. The South Sydney star also will not play for the Rabbitohs in round 12 against the Cowboys.
Mitchell said he was not 100% fit because of his back injury and did not want to let his State or his club down. South Sydney said the update came after he pulled himself from Origin selection, leaving Daley to shape the Nsw Blues team list 2026 before naming his Game 1 side on Monday.
The timing matters because NSW is on the clock for the series opener and Mitchell had been one of the biggest names in the selection conversation. His decision removes one of the Blues’ most experienced attacking options before the squad is set, and it comes with South Sydney also managing its own short-term plan.
Mitchell’s absence from round 12 is already confirmed, and South Sydney has the bye in round 13, which gives the club a narrow window to assess his recovery before the next phase of the season. That leaves the back injury as the central issue for both club and state, with the same player trying to protect each side from a risk he no longer felt ready to carry.
For Daley, the immediate job is to settle the NSW Blues team without Mitchell and turn to the rest of the pool ahead of Monday’s announcement. For Mitchell, the call is simpler: he stepped away before the series could demand more from a body he said was not fit enough to trust.
